"In his new book, The Case For Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight
Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility, famed astronautical engineer
Bob Zubrin talks about the how and the why of our new exploratory era.
It's a must-read for anyone interested in the subject, and will probably
be read by historians of our era centuries hence. I find Zubrin's
arguments compelling, and I think you just might, too. I highly
recommend his book, not only for its excellent analysis, but also as a
source of perspective on today's news. " -- Glenn Harlan Reynolds,
Opinion columnist, USA Today
A new space race has begun. But the rivals in this case are not
superpowers but competing entrepreneurs. These daring pioneers are
creating a revolution in spaceflight that promises to transform the near
future. Astronautical engineer Robert Zubrin spells out the potential of
these new developments in an engrossing narrative that is visionary yet
grounded by a deep understanding of the practical challenges. Fueled by
the combined expertise of the old aerospace industry and the talents of
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, spaceflight is becoming cheaper. The new
generation of space explorers has already achieved a major breakthrough
by creating reusable rockets. Zubrin foresees more rapid innovation,
including global travel from any point on Earth to another in an hour or
less; orbital hotels; moon bases with incredible space observatories;
human settlements on Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of the outer
planets; and then, breaking all limits, pushing onward to the stars.
Zubrin shows how projects that sound like science fiction can actually
become reality. But beyond the how, he makes an even more compelling
case for why we need to do this--to increase our knowledge of the
universe, to make unforeseen discoveries on new frontiers, to harness
the natural resources of other planets, to safeguard Earth from stray
asteroids, to ensure the future of humanity by expanding beyond its home
base, and to protect us from being catastrophically set against each
other by the false belief that there isn't enough for all.
